


The Receiver

by andee_cole



Category: The Giver Series - Lois Lowry
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-17 09:43:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2305235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andee_cole/pseuds/andee_cole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo." -The Giver by Lois Lowry</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Receiver

**Author's Note:**

> The idea to do this actually started with a very short essay for my English class. Naturally, I went overboard and couldn't leave it unresolved. This is the beginning of my conclusion of Lois Lowry's "The Giver". Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!! :*

The music in Jonas's ears seemed to be growing louder as their sled drew near to the twinkling lights. But his hold on reality was growing fainter. When the sled slowed to a stop, Jonas's eyes involuntarily closed and he slumped against Gabriel.

Jonas stirred slightly as he felt hands left him up and out of the sled. His mind was awake with the panic of worry for Gabriel but his body was unresponsive to his pleas for movement. Before he slipped away again, he heard an unfamiliar voice say, “They're only children how did they get this far on their own?” Everything went black for the second time that day, and he momentarily forgot about his worries.

Jonas was in a field, the sun at his back and the wind against his face. He was walking, searching for something, but he couldn't remember what. He looked around and called loudly for the person he trusted, “Giver?” His voice seemed to echo for miles. “Where am I?” Once again, his own voice responded with the same question. The air was thicker now and the sun seemed bigger, closer, hotter, almost too hot. Sweat started dripping down his spine. “Why is it so hot?” He turned to look at the sun and it was so big he felt as if he could reach out and touch. A memory of sunburn rushed back to him and he immediately started feeling that familiar burning sensation. Jonas wanted to run, but he couldn't, something was making him stay, the “something” he was looking for. How could he leave without finding it? Whatever “it” was, Jonas couldn't remember. The sun seemed to be crackling and popping now. But as he listened harder he could hear another noise as well, whimpering and sniffling. Crying. Jonas jerked, suddenly making the connection. “Gabriel” the sound of his own voice filling the silence woke him from his fitful slumber.

Jonas's eyes flew open. He was in a room. A room very similar to the one in the memory of love and Christmas that the giver gave to him. Disoriented, he wondered if he was dead and somehow managed to awake in his favorite memory. But as his senses started returning, he heard once again, that crackling popping noise coming from behind him. With more effort than it should've taken, Jonas managed too roll over and immediately realized that sound he was hearing was coming from the fire. Remembering how he had once it was unsafe, he was very grateful for the safety hazard at that moment. The fire seemed to be thawing out his long frozen bones. “Easy, honey. Don't be moving around too much, you need rest.” the voice startled him, and even though it sounded very different from the way people in the community talked, it still had a very soft caring tone. It was very obviously a woman's voice and she was only a few feet away but Jonas couldn't see her. “But since you're up, you should eat.” Jonas knew he should be alarmed that he just woke up in a stranger's home, but her soothing tone, the warm fire, and the promise of food calmed his nerves.

Jonas chose this moment to talk and he cleared his throat, “Where's Gabriel?” the voice he heard was raspy and sounded nothing like his own.

“He's here but he's not doing very well.. We're trying to warm him up and get some food in him but he just keeps shivering and whimpering.” Her voice faltered at the end, as though she cared deeply for him. 

“We?” Jonas felt apprehensive.

“Yes. My husband and I. You two were found by a few of us in the community and we volunteered to bring you back here.” she paused to breathe “But you really do need some food.” Jonas heard her get up and walk across the room, he still hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of her. He could hear the movement of pans and silverware, the sloshing of liquid, and at last her footsteps drawing closer. Jonas struggled to pull himself into a sitting position, he felt her warm hands on his back, helping him up. He looked up then, into the eyes of a stranger.

Her eyes were a color he knew as green, but they were a shade he wasn't familiar with. At the pupils there was a brilliant flash of yellow, looking as though she had captured the sun in a glance; that would, at least, explain why they radiated warmth wherever she laid them. The yellow abruptly changes to a very light green and slowly fades to the darkest green he had ever seen, they looked almost black around the edges, like she held the night and day in her stare. He had never seen eyes look so “deep”. Her hair was dark brown and hung in thick waves well past her shoulders. Her nose was small and cute. Jonas was sure there was a word to describe it, but he didn't know it. Her cheekbones were very prominent, but the had a soft edge to them. Giving her appearance a very elegant look. Her lips were full and looked so soft. Jonas had never seen anyone look like her. Look so different. Before Jonas even processed the thought, he blurted, “You're beautiful.” His voice held a sound awe mixed with astonishment and amazement but she quickly looked down and her cheeks grew a shade of red that Jonas was familiar with. The red the slowly spread across one's entire face, the red that appeared when someone was embarrassed. Jonas's stomach dropped at the thought of causing her to feel that emotion, but deep down he also felt excited he had met someone who didn't suffer from the evil of “sameness”. Jonas came to his senses though, “I apologize for my rudeness and for embarrassing you. I overstepped my boundaries. It won't happen again.” Then the woman smiled, showing for the first time, the faint traces of crows feet.

“That was the most odd apology I've ever heard. You say it as though you rehearsed it or as if it's out of habit.” She chuckled to herself. “Oh, and my name is Allison. My husband's is Scott.” Allison looked at Jonas expectantly.

“I'm Jonas and the little boy is my brother, his name is Gabriel.” Jonas was shaking a little with the strain of holding his head up. “Do you think he'll be okay?” Allison moved one hand behind his head and used the other to feed him. 

“Easy. If you eat too fast it'll make you sick.” As soon as the warm chicken broth hit his tongue, Jonas moaned with pleasure. He felt the liquid his the back of his mouth, travel down his throat, and then warm his stomach. “I wish Gabriel was so enthusiastic about eating. I'm scared if he doesn't eat soon he'll....” Her words trailed off and even though Jonas was starving, literally, he suddenly didn't feel like eating.

“I need to see him.” Jonas tried to push himself up but his body barely came up an inch.

“After you eat. You don't have the strength to get up how could you care for him right now? Regain your strength and then you can help him regain his.” Allison said the statement with finality in her tone. Jonas let her continue to spoon broth into his mouth, but he swore to himself that he would see Gabriel before he went back to sleep. Between mouthfuls, Jonas tried to ask questions but Allison kept shushing him by filling his mouth with broth. “I'm not answering your questions, Jonas. It isn't my place. Before I can answer anything, you have to meet with the City Council, they have questions for you too.” Jonas was confused as to why she couldn't just answer him and what could the City Council want with him? Allison fed him another bite and he was suddenly reminded of Fiona. Allison was caring for him the was Fiona took care of the old. The more he watched her the more he could see the similarities between them. “Okay, I think that's enough. I know you want more, but it doesn't taste as good coming up as it did going down and I'm pretty sure if you eat much more, you'll puke.” Allison gently pushed Jonas back down into a lying position and stood up. “I'll go get Scott and have him bring Gabriel in here for you. I can tell he means a lot to you.” She walked away then, out of the “living room” and into a hallway Jonas couldn't see down.

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers-- The husband and wife's names were Scott and Allison... considering doing a fandom mash-up... Let me know what you think!


End file.
